Haaretz reported on Friday that the White House has been pressuring Israel to seal a ceasefire and captive-swap deal with Hamas – before US President Donald Trump heads out on his first working foreign trip to three Gulf countries next week.
The visit is scheduled for 13-16 May.
Washington reportedly threatened Israel with being “left alone” if it didn’t act, Haaretz said, citing unnamed sources.
If a deal is indeed reached, it would presumably give Trump the optics of a win as he sits down with Arab leaders.
“If Israel doesn’t come to its senses, the price of missing out will be higher than ever before,” Trump’s special envoy to the Middle East, Steve Witkoff, reportedly told families of Israeli captives in a meeting.
